Chicken-feeding coop.



G. COLUS, DEC D.

r. a. cums, EXECUTRIX.

- CHICKEN FEEDING COOP. Awucmon man NOV. 1. 1913.

v 7' Patented Aug. 1,1916.

Elwuwtoz Geo/:96 GOZZZ'J GEORGE coLLIs, or CLINTON, town; FLORENCE MAY COLLIS, EXECUTRIXI'OF SAID GEORGE COLLIS, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOLLIS COMPANY,'OF CLINTON,

IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

CHICKEN-FEEDING COOP.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

. To-all whom it may concern p I coarse sand, etc.

'disposethe several components'of the struc- Be it known that I, GEORGE COLLIS, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Clin-' ton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented ful Improvements Coops, ofv which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

. This inventmn relates to poultry coops and, particularly, to. chicken feeding coops.

' At the present time, a large and important industry exists in the production of so-called milk-fed chickens. pecially, are gathered from varioussection's and shipped in great numbers t the feeders, so-called, who place they1 6oops and feed them on. skim-milk, g 111,

Each fe er has a prescribed but individual course of feeding, It requires from eight to ten days to increase the weight of a fowl approximately twentyfive per cent. When they-have attained the desired'increase in weight, they are killed, picked, dressed, frozen and shipped to various sections. Each feeder will, during the season, be t reatingfowl in this manner by the thousands. It is importantand essential that the coop shallbe kept constantly in the cleanest and most sanitary condition possible, and thatthe labor of maintaining the coop in this condition shall be reduced to a minimum; otherwise, the industry of-feedingthe fowl would be unprofitable.

It is an object of my invention to provide a coop whichshallmeet all of these requirements and which shall, at the same time, be simple in construction and comparatively inexpensive to produce.

It is a deslderatum of the invention so to ture that, for the most part, they occupy positions in spaced relation, whereby they are rendered practically vermin-proof, and the points at which dirt, etc., might collect reduced to a minimum.

To this end, my improved coop resides, in one aspect, in an all-metal structure which includes main sustaining standards or corner-pieces, horizontal cross-bars, and abasket-form'suspended from the cross-bars.

In another aspect of the invention, it resides in a metallic structure comprising four angle-iron corner-members, .a plurality of certain new. and usein Chicken-Feeding The young fowl, es-.

beefrfat,

' horizontally-arranged angle-iron cross-memangle-iron.corner-pieces,a plurality of se-' ries of horizontally-disposed angle-iron cross-pieces, one series being arranged above another in spaced relation, and aplurality of basket-forms each suspended from a series of said cross pieces and spaced from each other, and removable droppings-catch- 1ng elements disposed between each basketform. I i.

The invention resides broadly in the features of construction,combinations of elements," and arrangements of parts, and in the various aggroupments thereof, all as will be exemplified in the construction 'hereinafter set forth, and the scope of application of which will be indicated in the appended claims. 1

In order that the invention may be clearly comprehended by those skilled in the .related art, drawingsillustrative of one ofthe .many possible utilizations of the same are p appended hereto as a part of this disclosure; it being manifest that other possible utilizations and embodiments employing the underlying principles of my invention fall within the spirit thereof and, also,*within the objects contemplated'thereby.

-'In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a view in perspective of a chicken-feeding coop constructed in accordance with'my in vention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in end elevationof the same; Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse section on theline 4-4, Fig.' 3; Fig.5 is a detail view in perspective of a basket-supporting frame forming a part of the structure; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modified form of structure, and Fig. 7 is a View in horizontal section, on the line a-a, Fig. 6, of said modification.

Inthese drawings, the numeral 1 indicates corner-members which, in this instance, con-- stitute, with other components presently to be mentioned, the general sup'porting parts of the structure. Preferably and as shown, these corner-members are formed of angleiron, and there are four ofthese. Connect-' Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

ed with-these corner-members are a plurality of sets or series of cross-members or each set or series of which is arranged inspaced relation. The cross-pieces 2 3-3f, 4+4, and 55 constitute supporting-instrumentalities for a basket or cagestructure which will presentlybe described. The corner-members and the crossspi'eces constitute a rigid structure formed entirely of metal. The cross-pieces, like the cornermembers, are preferably formed of angleiron, as bestseen in Figs. 3' and 4.

Suitably secured in and depending from each of the sets of cross-pieces 2, 3, i and 5,

at each sideof the structure, are vertical wires or-strands 7 which at their upper ends project through holes formed in the crosspieces and are headed, as shown. The lower ends of these strands are connected to the lower, elongated portions 8 of a1 cage-supporting frame 9. Also attached to the portions 8 of said frame is a mesh bottom portion 10. Depending from the portions '8 of the frame 9 there are mesh or vnetsecti ons 11 which extend downwardlygto the'p'lane of the bottom portion 10 wheretliey i aregeon nected with the strands formi'ngi'said. bottom. A top portion 13, formed of: mesh Y wire, is secured to the cross-pieces.

It will'th'us be seen that the fraine'ilgtl ie strands .'Z,the endwires-11, the bottom-portion 10, and the top portion 13, constitutea cage-structure. The frame 9 is secured to the cross-pieces by clips 1,2, so that the cagestructure may properly "be said to be 'sustained by said cross-pieces, and is suspended these, two being disposed in proximity to the corner-members '1, and one being arranged centrally. These transverse'pieces constitute supports for two metallic sheets 15, 15,. which, at their outside edges, are turned upwardly and, at their inner portions', are overlapped. The two sheets, thus arranged, constitute pans or instrumentali ties for catching the droppings of the fowl confined in the overlying cage, and prevent the passing of any such droppings into any of the other cages disposed beneath them.

Suitably secured to portions ofv the cagestructure, and arranged longitudinally thereof and within the same, is a mesh partition 16 which is formed partly by and receives reinforcement from a frame 17. Each cage is provided with one of these partitions which divides the same into two compartments. 'Each compartment is- 'provlded with a door, 18 which is held in position when raised or lowered by a keeper 19. It

will thus be seen that access "to one of the compartments can be had without interfer- I are held in spaced relation With respect to the cage-structure, and also with respect to the roost-boards 20.

In 'Figs. 6 and 7, I have illustrated a modified form of structure which contempla'tesin lieu of the transverse sheet-sup porting bars l4+end bracket-elements 23 secured (as by bolts orthe like) to the cornor-members 1 and an intermediate bracket 24 mounted on the cross-pieces 3. These bracket-elements are preferably and as shown elongated to extend between each ,ofthe two end members and are also angulated to provide .an inclined portion 23 and a horizontal sheet-supporting portion 23 The'bracket 24 has two horizontal portions occupying a plane corresponding to that of the horizontal ;.portions 23* of the endbrackets'. Slidably supported on these horizontal portibns, are two pairs of metallic sheets 25, the outer edges of which are bent upwardly to form flanges 25 and each of the pair preferably overlaps the other. These sheets arepushed in from the sides of the structure and, by reason of-the flanges 25 and'the vertical portions of the brackets,

each underlying cageris eflectually protected from droppings from that just above it- From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a structure constructed almost entirely of metal;-that the same comprises a plurality of cage-structures which are suspended from the crosspieces independently of the corner-members and in spaced relation in respect to each other; that, between each of the cage-structures, are interposed instrumentalities for catching the droppings; that the feedingtroughs are also arranged in spaced relation with respect to the cages so that they are not in danger of being defiled; that by reason of the metallic'parts and simplicity of arrangement and construction thereof, there is no opportunity for breeding of vermin, as occurs where structures are employed that are made principally of wood; and, finally. as the structure is made of wire, it does not absorb the heat from the fowl, but, on the contrary, permits free passage of air. The cage structures, proper, are made entirely l'lO of metal; they are easily ,removed, one without interfering with another, and the droppings. are caught by specially designed instrumentalities which preclude said droppings fron getting'onto other parts of the structure.

As many changes can be made inthe above construction and as many widely dif-- ferent embodiments of the invention can be made without departing 1 from the spirit' thereof, it is intended thatall' matter set forth in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be. interpreted as illustrative and notin any limiting sense. It is also to be understood .that the language used in the following claims is intended'to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention which as a;matter of language might be said t fall therein. n

What I claim is: i 1. A coop comprising a plurality of corner members; side and end-cross-pieces connect ing said members; a cage-structure including a frame having'side'and end sections and having-a woven fabric secured to the frame. to constitute top, bottom and end sections of the cage; said frame being secured at its ends to' the end cross-pieces; and depending supporting-members connecting the sides of the,

frame and the side cross-pieces and also forming side sections of the cage-structure.

2. A coop comprising a plurality of corner-members; a series of side and end cross pieces arranged in spaced relation and con necting said corner-members; a plurality of cage-structures 1n spaced vertical relat1on,'

each including a frame having side and end portions, and a net-structure secured thereto to form top, bottom and end sections of the Gage; said frames being secured at their ends to the end cross-pieces of each series; and

depending members connecting the sides of the frames of each cage with the side cross; pieces of each serles to constltute supporting members and side sections of the cages.

'ment'and secured to some of said sections;

3. A coop comprising a-plurality of corner-members; a series of side and end crosspieces arranged in spaced relation and connecting said corner-members; a plurality of cage-structures in spaced vertical relation, each including a frame having side and end portions, and a net-structure secured thereto disposed on said supports.

to form top, bottom and end sections of the cage; said frames being secured at their ends to the end cross-pieces of. each series; and, depending members connecting the sides. pf-

.the' frames of each cagewith the side crosspieces of each series to constitute supporting a members and side sections ofthe cages; transverse supporting members connecting the side cross-pieces; and a tray-structure 4. A coop comprising a plurality of corner-members; a. series of side and end cross-' pieces arranged in spaced relation and connecting said corner-members; a plurality of cage-structures in spaced vertical relation, each including a frame having "side and end portions, and a. net-structuresecured thereto to form top, bottom and end sections of the cage; said frames being secured at their ends to the end cross pieces of each series; depending members connecting the sides of the frames of each cage with the side crosspieces of each series to constitute supporting members and side sections'of the cages; a bracing-instrumentality disposed between the'top andbottom of each cage-structure; and a woven fabric secured to said bracinginstru'mentality and said sections to form a partition dividing the cages into compartments.

5. A coop comprising a plurality of angulated corner-members; .a series of angulated side and end cross-pieces connected together and to said corner-members to form a framework, said side and end cross-pieces being mounted in spaced. vertical relationon the corner-pieces, one above another; a plurality, of cage-structures disposed n spaced relat1on and one'abov'e 'anoth'er, between the corner-pieces, each cage-structure including a frame having side and end p'ortions and a woven fabric connected thereto to constitute top, bottom and'end sections of the'cage; the end-portions of the'frame being secured to the end cross-pieces of each series; a'plu-' rality of depending members connecting the sides of each frame with the side cross-pieces of-each series to constitute supporting and side sections of the cages; transverse supports connecting 'the side-pieces of each series; trays disposed on; said supports underneath the cages; a trouglrfor each cage secured in juxtaposition thereto; abracing frame dlsposed between the top and bottom sections of each cage; a web secured to said member and roost disposed in each compartand doors disposed on the side cross-pieces and communicating with the compartments j frame'and said sections to divide the cage into compartments; a combined bracingposed cross-pieces attached to said cornernielnbers 1n SPEICGCiTQiHtlOIl, one above another, a plurality of cage-structures each suspended from a set of the cross-pieces and independently of the corner-members and in spaced iehition, said cage-structure coinprisi-ng a bottom and two end-portions formed of Woven strands, vertical side Wires depending from the cross-pieces, and a cagesustnining f nine to which said side wires are attached at their lower ends andto Whic a F .i

the'sti-iinds of theend-pertions are attached 

